Conductor support



March 19, 1935. R. H. MCcAFFl-:RTY 1,994,916

CONDUCTOR SUPPORT Filed sept. 22, 1951 WITNESSESI INVENTOR ./wm/W/ BYPatented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONDUCTOR SUPPORTApplication September 22, 1931, Serial No. 564,304

4 Claims.

My invention relates generally to supporting devices, and moreparticularly to aligning hangers for overhead trolley conductors.

The object of my invention, generally stated,

is to provide a satisfactory aligning conductor support that shall bereadily and economically manufactured and quickly and easily installed.

A more specific object of my invention is to efliciently andinexpensively provide for support- 0 ing trolley conductors inalignment.

It is also an object of my invention to provide for assembling analigning conductor support as a virtually inseparable unitary article ofmanufacture.

Other objects of my invention will, in part, be

obvious and, in part, appear hereinafter.

My invention, accordingly, is disclosed in the embodiment hereof shownin the accompanying drawing, and comprises the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of myinvention, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a trolley hanger constructed inaccordance with this invention and attached to a supporting wire;

Fig. 2 is a view, in side elevation, of the hanger illustrated in Fig.1, part of the supporting wire being broken away to more clearly showthe construction, and a trolley conductor and ear being shown by brokenlines to illustrate the application of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2,showing details of construction;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the yoke, illustrated separately; and

Fig. 5 is a view, in end elevation, of one end of the yoke showing thesupporting cable in position.

Referring to the drawing, the aligning trolley hanger illustratedcomprises a main body member 1 provided with an outer circumferentialgroove 2 and an inner cavity 3 within which any suitable electricalinsulation 4 may be molded under heat and pressure. In order to insurethat the insulation 4 will be retained within the main body member 1, aninwardly extending circumferential flange 5 is provided and castintegrally with the main body member and within the cavity 3, as shown,around which the insulation 4 may be molded.

With a view to supporting a trolley ear 6, of any standard construction,to which a trolley 5 conductor 'l may be secured, a threaded bolt 8,provided with an enlarged head 9, is rigidly embedded in the insulationas shown in Fig. 3; care being taken to maintain the bolt 8 and the head9 electrically separated from the main body member 1.

The main body member 1 may be supported in a variety of Ways. In thisembodiment of the invention, a flat-topped boss 10, of rectangularcross-section, is cast integrally with the main 15 body member 1. Theboss 10 is provided with a circumferential groove 11 at its base andwith spaced projections or serrations 12 along the upper edge thereof;the distance between serrations being slightly greater than the lengthof the serrations themselves, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

It will be noted that the cross-section of the boss 10 is rectangular inshape in order to provide for the application of a wrench for holding 25the main body member 1 while the trolley ear 6 is being screwed onto thethreaded bolt 8. However, it will be apparent that the cross-section ofthe boss 10 may be of any suitable shape such as will permit theapplication of a wrench thereto.

In order to support the main body member 1, a yoke 13 is provided withan aperture 14, having the general shape of a Maltese cross, which iscentrally located, as shown. The edge 15 of the aperture 14 is serratedto correspond to the 35 serrations or projections 12 located on the boss10; the minimum diameter of the serrated edge. 15 being slightly greaterthan the minimum distance across the top of the boss 10. Further, inthis embodiment of the invention, the serrations 40 that are located onthe edge 15 are of the same number and the same spacing as theserrations 12 located on the boss 10.

It will be apparent that the yoke 13 may be mounted on the main bodymember l as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, with the serrated edge 15interfitting with the serrations 12 of the boss 10` It will be furtherobserved that the serrated edge may be positioned below the serrations12 and in the groove 11, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 3. 'I'he mainbody member 1 may then be turned slightly in either direction, therebycausing interlocking engagement between the serrated edge 15 and theprojections 12 of the boss 10, which engagement serves to maintain theyoke 13 in 55 supporting relationship with respect to the main bodymember 1.

In order to support the hanger above the trolley conductor 7, the yoke13 is provided with a pair of laterally extending arms 16 and 17 whichare provided with a pair of curved depending end lugs 18 and 19 castintegral therewith. A supporting Wire 2D is passed through the lugs 18and 19 and around a portion oiY the main body member 1 in thecircumferential groove 2. As will be readily observed, the supportingwire 20 may extend parallel to the trolley conductor 7, as illustrated,and may be supported at its ends, or otherwise, in any suitable manner.The supporting wire 20 may also extend at right angles to the positionshown in the drawing or along any intermediate position, in which casesit would be secured at either end to poles alongside the track., Whenthe hanger is positioned above the trol ley conductor 7, as hereinbeforedescribed, the supporting wire 20 serves to maintain the main bodymember 1 and the yoke 13 together as a single supporting unit. Thisresult is obtained because of the interaction between the supportingWire 2o, the lugs 1S and 19 and the circumferential groove 2 located onthe main body member l. It will alsor be noted that, with the abovedescribed arrangement of parts, the main body member l is substantiallyfree to rotate with respect to the yoke 13 to properly align itself asmay be necessary..

From a manufacturing point of View, it is desirable Vto construct thehanger in two separable parts; i. e. the main body member 1 and the yokei` 13. However, it is also desirable to assemble them together as avirtually inseparable unit for purposes of shipment and installation.

Therefore, a split retaining ring 21 is provided, or" any suitablematerial such as soft iron, which may be positioned between the serratededge 15 of the yoke 13 and the projections 12 on the boss 10 and in thecircumferential groove 11 located at the base of the boss 10. It will bereadily seen that the main body member 1 and the yoke V13 will-bemaintained as an inseparable unit when the ring 21 is located in thisposition. It will also be observed that the aligning feature of thehanger is still retained, since the groove 11, in which the ring 21 andthe serrated edge 15 of the yoke 3'are located, is sufciently wide topermit the free movement of the yoke 13 with respect to the main bodymember 1.

Since certain further changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention: Y

l; An aligning conductor support comprising, in combination, a main bodymember provided Ywith means -for securing a conductor thereto, said bodymember also being provided With a boss having a circumferential grooveprovided with a plurality of serrations along one edge thereof,'a yokefor supporting the main body member, said yoke being provided with acentrally located aperture yoke inseparable while permitting relativerotation thereof.

2. An aligning conductor support comprising, in combination, a main bodymember provided with means for securing a conductor thereto, anat-topped boss, provided with a rectangular portion and acircumferential groove, secured to the main body member, a plurality ofspaced projections carried by the boss along one edge of the groove, ayoke for supporting the main body mem ber, said yoke being provided witha centrally located aperture having a plurality of inwardly extendingspaced projections, the ends of which lie on a circle whose diameter isslightly greater than the minimum distance across the top of boss, and aretaining ring disposed to engage the projections on said boss and onsaid yoke for maintaining the main body member and the yoke inseparablewhile permitting relative rotation thereof. Y

3. An aligning hanger for supporting a trolley conductor comprising, incombination, a main body member provided with a cavity, electricalinsulation provided within the cavity, a threaded bolt having anenlarged head embedded in the in sulation but electrically separatedfrom the main body member, a boss mounted on the main body member andprovided with a plurality of serra-Y tions, a yoke for supporting themain body member, Vsaid yoke being provided with a centrally locatedaperture having a serrated edge, said Yserrated edge being disposed tointeri-lt with the serrations provided on the boss, and a retaining ringdisposed to cooperate with the serrated edge of the aperture of the yokeand the serrations on the boss for maintaining the yoke and the mainbody member inseparable Ywhile permitting relative rotation thereof.

4. An aligning conductor support, compris# ing, in combination, aYbell-shaped main body member provided 'with a rectangular head having aplurality of outwardly extending spaced projections, a ange formedintegrally with the main body member and projecting inwardly from theinner surface thereof, electrical insulation disposed Within the ,mainbody member and secured therein by means of said flange, a threaded boltprovided with an enlarged head and embedded in the insulation butelectrically separated from the main body member, a yoke for supportingthe main body member, said yoke being provided with a centrally locatedaperture having a plurality of spaced projections extending inwardly, apair of laterally extending arms secured to the yoke, a pair ofdepending 'curved lugs secured to the arms for engaging a supportingwire, and a retaining ring Vdisposed to cooperate with the projectionson the head and on the yoke for, maintainingthe main body member and theyoke inseparable while permitting relative rotation thereof.

ROBERT H. MCCAFFERTY.

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